Di Francis to read at &#039;Dances with Words&#039;

Montana Western English professor Di Francis will be featured at the next installment of the University of Montana Western’s “Dances with Words” series on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. By Wally Feldt
Montana Western English professor Di Francis will be featured at the next installment of the University of Montana Western’s “Dances with Words” series.
Francis’ reading will be on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in The Cup, the university’s coffee shop located on the lower level of the Swysgood Technology Center.
Francis will read from “Bitter Night,” the first book in her "Horngate Witches" contemporary fantasy series and from “Hollow Crown,” the soon-to-be-released fourth book in the “Crosspointe Chronicles” series.
The protagonist of the “Horngate Witches” series, Max, finds her dreams of a career, home and family foiled by a witch who turns her into a warrior with extraordinary strength.
“Bitter Night” has been nominated for a Reviewer’s Choice Award for the Best Urban Fantasy of 2009 by the monthly magazine Romantic Times Book Review. The winners will be announced in the June issue.
Francis is also the author of the three-book “Path” series and numerous short stories. She has been a member of the Montana Western faculty since 1999.
Montana Western’s English department sponsors the “Dances with Words” series, which features visiting writers and poets. The series is funded by the university and local patrons and receives additional support through a $1,000 “Opportunity Grant” from Humanities Montana.
The spring schedule for “Dances with Words” also includes poet Michael Earl Craig on Feb. 11; poet and Montana Western professor Roger Dunsmore on Mar. 25; and poet Edwin Torres on April 13.